From abaptist.org:
Romans 4:3-6
Sunday, December 5
Faith Counted for Righteousness
KEY VERSE: "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works," Romans 4:6.
One modern-day marketing experiment resulted in a big flop. According to the instructions, all you had to do to an instant cake mix was add water and bake. The company could not understand why it did not sell—until their research discovered that the buying public was uneasy with a mix that required only water. Apparently, people thought it was too easy. So the company altered the formula and changed the directions to call for adding an egg to the mix in addition to the water. The idea worked and sales jumped dramatically.
This story reminds one of how some people react to the plan of salvation. To them it sounds too easy and simple to be true in spite of Ephesians 2:8, 9, which reads "By grace are ye saved through faith; ... it is the gift of God, not of works." They feel they must add something to God's recipe for salvation. They think they must perform good works to earn God's favor. But the Bible is clear; we are saved "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy" (Titus 3:5).
We should always remember that, if Christ had not given us His life as an atonement for our sins, each of us would be overdrawn on our heavenly bank account. When it comes to goodness, we would have insufficient funds.
LIVING IT: Use the past as a springboard, not as a sofa.
Mary McCalister
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